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Warlock of the Magus World
Type
Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.0 / 5.0, 3098 votes)
5    59% (1840 votes)
4    14% (440 votes)
3    9% (264 votes)
2    6% (180 votes)
1    12% (374 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
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N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2015
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
1200 Chapters (Completed)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 540.3 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #2000
Monthly Rank: #3237
All Time Rank: #7
Reading List
[Graph]
On 22020 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #92
All Time Rank: #22

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

When a futuristic scientist is transported into the body of a young man in a fantasy world, his curiosity and desire for power push him to pursue magic. In a world without mercy, Leylin has no qualms about doing anything if it means benefits. He is cold, ruthless and calculating, never forming attachments that could impede his ultimate goal…

Honor? Who needs that… Hmmm… that guy seems too powerful for me to take on now… I better keep a low profile for now.

You want me to help you? What do I get out of it? Nothing? Bye.

Hmm… that guy looks like he might cause me problems in the future. Better kill him before he becomes a problem…

Associated Names
One entry per line
Vu Giới Thuật Sĩ
WMW
Wujie Shushi
巫界术士
Related Series
Overgod Ascension (Prequel)
Tribulation of Mysteries (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
Reverend Insanity (29)
Age of Adepts (19)
The Wizard World (17)
Dungeon Defense (12)
A Sorcerer’s Journey (10)
Netheril’s Glory (10)
Recommendation Lists
  1. readable
  2. Open Mind
  3. kfslqmfsqf
  4. List One
  5. Fav Novel List Updated and Listed In Order

Latest Release

Date Group Release
04/25/16 Wuxiaworld c100
04/20/16 Wuxiaworld c99
04/18/16 Wuxiaworld c98
04/10/16 Wuxiaworld c97
04/06/16 Wuxiaworld c96
04/04/16 Wuxiaworld c95
04/02/16 Wuxiaworld c94
03/30/16 Wuxiaworld c93
03/28/16 Wuxiaworld c92
03/28/16 Wuxiaworld c91
03/27/16 Wuxiaworld c90
03/26/16 Wuxiaworld c89
03/25/16 Wuxiaworld c88
03/23/16 Wuxiaworld c87
03/23/16 Wuxiaworld c86
123…7
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Review
499 Reviews


Astaroth
Astaroth
Apr 26, 2016
Status: --
I can’t believe people are rating this based on how often sentences end with exclamation marks. Is that really supposed to be a valid complaint? “too many exclamation marks, 1/5, sh*t novel”

Everything with this novel is great, the Author obviously used his head and made serious effort to make these characters and how they act.

Yes, Leylin is a cold-hearted bastard, even I was surprised at times, but this is his personality, and the Author (so far, ch 101) hasn’t ever forced him to act out of character in the name... more>> of plot or story development.

So while Leylin is cold-hearted, this is obviously not something you should rate the novel on. Are you going to rate NTR & Yaoi novels negatively because you don’t like the tag? Then let’s say you don’t like Fantasy novels, are you also going to rate negatively because this Fantasy novel you’re reading does indeed have Fantasy elements?

That seems pretty s*upid to me, if you don’t like the tags, don’t read it. If you hate reincarnation novels, don’t read them. Why should this be any different, you don’t like cold-hearted Main Characters, THEN DON’T READ IT.

I don’t think to myself “now would be a good time for some fluffy and cute stuff” and then I watch Saw and complain about the gore...

Yes, there can be valid complaints about the novel, but most of the negative reviews are completely irrelevant.

And people complaining about the "chip" not being scientific, get real, do you seriously expect the Author to write paragraphs or entire pages of how it works? I don't see you complaining about CD and other xianxia novels chalking up "laws" to "Deep sh*t / profound mysterious crap.", which says nothing about it to the reader at all.

And even if the Author could, would you seriously want that in the novel? I thought most people read novels to get away from work and school, not to study science...

Are you also going to complain that you didn't learn about real world history from reading Lord of the Rings? <<less
652 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
morli
morli
Feb 15, 2016
Status: c70
Like many people said, the MC isn't scientist at all! All of his scientist part come from the ridiculous OP AI chip he has in his past life that somehow got transported alongside him! And he doesn't have the mindset of scientist! The analysis, research and deduction the scientist usually have is done by his s*upidly OP AI chip! And it was done in matter of second! The MC just take what the AI chip deduce as his own without slightest doubt! Very scientific of him! No effort at all!

He... more>> is just your normal xianxia protagonist with OP artifact! But the difference is he depends on his AI chip too much! Learning magic? Use AI chip. Researching something? Use AI chip. Don't know someone is friend or foe? Use AI chip. Getting out of dangerous situation? Use AI chip! All of his trouble is resolved by his AI chip! And he can't do anything without the help of his AI chip! There is other problem too! He is heartless, self-centered, not driven by emotions and very calculating! That's fine, I like smart MC. Sadly, his character preventing him to have a good companion or lover! The MC just doesn't care about them and even will abandon them if there is no benefit left! The lack of character building for those characters doesn't help them either!

And the story itself has many issues! The MC is someone who avoid trouble very much! The flag that will lead to good conflict is avoided by him! He is so low key and calculating thus he has few enemies! And unlike other story where troubles encounter the MC often, his AI chip make sure he encounters few troubles! Because of that he is unlike someone who is in the center of conflict, but more like bystander instead!

If you read this review and have headache because of the exclamation mark, get used to it! This story is full of exclamation mark and you will encounter it a lot in this story! <<less
391 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
TheJudge
TheJudge
Jun 06, 2016
Status: --
Spoiler

Heartless MC that will do ANYTHING to further his power, this include using and then throwing away little girls, classmates and anyone that he befriends later on the novel. His moto is if he has nothing to gain from them he'll throw them away, that or use them as bait. His ability A.I chip makes no sense at all, nor does the author bother to explain the plot holes in this novel.

There is no romance, friendship or teammates in this novel, the MC is a psychopath and as the story progresses he becomes even worse, some of the things he does is so despicable that they pale in comparison to what the villains have done. It starts out normal, but trust me you'll want to throw up by the time you get to the later chapters.

This novel is just below CCM, the novel that I regret wasting my time to read.

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226 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Darkanlan
Darkanlan
May 15, 2017
Status: c1200
Spoiler

A decent read about an A.I. Chip and it's meat bag that carries it along it's path of cultivation towards eternity. To be honest I enjoyed the read up until the last 50 - 100 chapters, they felt rushed like the guy was just trying to end the series.


Worth a read, but I'd quit at about chapter 1150 or so and just make up the rest in your head. Went from a decent read to a regret that I finished reading it.

A number of notable problems in the series as a whole, there is absolutely no character development for anyone other than the MC and ai chip. You'll read 50-100 chapters about him getting closer to some woman while doing other things, just to have them end up in his hands and that's probably the last time you'll ever hear of that woman for more than a single sentence.

One of the biggest problems would be his wives / lovers and the kids he's supposed to have had. The guy only named two of them and didn't even bother to name the rest, doesn't even mention them more than once or twice. He even forgot that he said the MC had imp**gnated several women and only remembered two of them, then added some new ones in later and didn't even bother to name the kids. If you want to read about an AI chip and it's adventure with a ruthless worthless MC, this series is probably for you.

[collapse]
215 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
TimMit
TimMit
Jun 04, 2016
Status: c133
I never left a comment before, however, after trying to find something good to read I stumbled upon some negative reviews, thus deciding to clear up the whole thing.

WMW is not a novel for kids. By that I mean there no princes on white horses, a whole bunch of lucky things and so on. It is well written with logical flow given to the plot. If you are looking for SMART MC, that is the thing you must read. He is not running wild and offends everyone he sees.

Many say... more>> this is not scientific and no experiments and so on. Well then I want to ask u, have u ever spoken to scientist in your life. I doubt it. Many experiments nowadays are performed in computer. I am currently writing a paper where all of tests are simulated virtually.

Many ranked low just because the MC is "evil" well I mean that is your taste. Why rank low? Are u ranking the MC or the writing. Why not just stating that it is not a novel for altruistic people.

Finally, I would like to recommend my list of novels to read. For those who find my comment reasonable and share my point of view. Otherwise, don't even bother to read further.

1) World of the magus world

2) World of cultivation (pretty slow start, but the MC is truly smart and continues to be one through the whole plot, the world is well made without major flaws) slow start u should endure at least 50 chapters before the action begins.

3) True Martina world and Martial world

Well written with a more as u say "good" character <<less
201 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Yin
Yin
Jun 01, 2016
Status: c55
After reading around 60 chapters of this novel I can only say that this novel is majorly disappointing. The main character is claimed to be a scientist yet does not preform any action that a scientist would; rather, he simply orders his "deus ex A.I. Chip" to essentially act as google-sensei and tell him the solution to all of his problems. This is a major annoyance in the story as it is a get out of jail for free card that is used constantly. I don't believe there is a... more>> chapter where this thing isn't mentioned 20 billion times.

As for character progression? It doesn't exist. This story is meant to take place over several years but the main character acts as if he is the exact same regardless of how much time passes/is skipped in the story. His personality is one of a robot that has no emotions and thus is completely unrelatable. All other characters are given little to no background or screen time and are completely superficial.

Finally, the plot. It's pretty bad. It starts out with something that I can only describe as a grim Harry Potter type of story and then during the school arc it just gives up as if the author realized that the arc was incredibly boring and couldn't find a way to redeem it.

Overall I can't say I would recommend this novel to anyone. The characters are shallow, there is never any tense situations and the plot consists of A.I chip doing everything while the author scrambles to change the setting to something that isn't a complete bore. You're better off skipping it to read something else. <<less
171 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Lebrew
Lebrew
Apr 29, 2016
Status: --
I love this novel, 5/5. It has an interesting world, good pacing and a main character I really like. Yes, our main character is a homicidal, egotistical psychopath, but so is everybody else, so you might as well go with him. I think the thing I like the most about the novel is that though the MC might make choices you don´t like or agree with, they are still somewhat realistic and consistent with the established personality of the MC. Though he is “slightly” OP, he doesn´t suddenly challenge some... more>> huge clan and win through sheer power of plot armor. He is cunning and avoids taking the blame for killing heirs of powerful families, unlike a lot of other typical xianxia protagonists. Also when it comes to romance it´s not like he is thickheaded or a lecher, rather he takes the middle road by having s*x for pleasure and relieving stress, but not establishing any sort of emotional relationships whatsoever. While I feel kinda bad for Anna, I still think that his way of handling their relationship was the most appropriate considering his goals in life and personality. So summarized I really like the main character. <<less
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Kurousagirei
Kurousagirei
Jul 28, 2016
Status: --
1. "Deus ex AI Chip". That's what this story should have been named. First of all somebody please tell me how this guy is considered a "scientist" when the AI chip literally does ALL his thinking and analyzing for him. He doesn't have to move a single brain cell! Is that what counts as being smart where he's from? He is little more than a body for the AI chip to act through and literally CANNOT do anything by himself if the chip were to suddenly stop working because he... more>> relies on it completely.

2. I'm all for the MC that's efficient in everything he does and eliminates all threats to avoid s*upid conflicts, not drooling for and risking life and limb for every good looking b*tchy-as-hell female he comes across and chooses NOT to run d*ck first into danger for no reason. What I'm not for is an MC with a personality as interesting as sandpaper with a ridiculously OP AI chip to wipe his ass. He goes past anti-hero and straight into unlikable a**hole. Looking out for your own self interest is not a sin, but it is when this one personality trait wipes away your very humanity to the point where he's basically an AI himself. I suspect that it's just a lazy ass way to boycott character development. He avoids even the conflict that he could gain from. He's less like an MC and more of a bystander that you would never really care to know about. Average in every aptitude but (funnily enough) schemes like a scumbag on the low.

3. It's boring. The whole story is like an onion. Conflict is essential to a story so it doesn't help the plot none when the chip solves all of his for him. There's no tension. I'm now 99.999% sure that this is the authors fantasy more than an actual novel.

4. There is no need to end every sentence with an exclamation mark. Especially not with a plot and MC as dull as this one. Some may argue that this could be overlooked but that's a load of bullshit. Punctuation is important for setting the tone of a story, but It doesn't matter how tame what the speaker is saying is, it WILL end with an exclamation. You start reading a sentence believing that it's an action packed moment but then you're disappointed when you find out how boring the what they're doing actually is. Is it supposed to make up for the fact that there's no tension? It will give you a headache if you're actually used to good writing.

5. There's f*ck all character development so you you really can't give a flying frig about the survival of anyone in the story no matter how you try.

This story messed up my whole day. There just wasn't any coming back after this disappointment. If I could only give it a third of a star. <<less
164 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
takehisa
takehisa
May 10, 2016
Status: --
I'm quite shocked about all those low reviews, seriously, the MC is true to his personality, some of his decision might be cold, but hey, if you put a little thought, he's just a rational and reasonable man, and using his brain all the time
156 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Simple As It
Simple As It
Jun 25, 2016
Status: --
The story was so s*upid, everything is done by A.I. Chip from his previous world, the MC doesn't appear as scientist at all, he just like ordinary person with help of OP artifact.

You have a problem with your body? Let the AI do it! You have a problem learning from something? Let the AI inject you the information! You are about to die because of negative effect? Let the AI dispel everything! You have a problem with your combat? Let the AI help you! The only thing that the MC... more>> didn't require AI is when he had s*x, f*ck that plot!

Moreover, "MC is cold blooded" f*ck that cold blooded! He just basically uncaring person with unreasonable choice, he's from earth, he should've more "Humanity". He's unreasonably 'cold-blooded'.

Overall? Shitty and s*upid story, MC with worst characteristic, brainless, and absolutely flat character with OP A.I. Chip, plot-less story.

Yep, completely s*upid story in my opinion. Don't read it, don't waste your time! <<less
149 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Kefi
Kefi
Apr 09, 2016
Status: --
I had no problem with the MC not being a "white knight" kind of MC, but when he starts to be a regular evil mage, I loose all interest in his survival.
139 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
PandaZzz
PandaZzz
Jul 27, 2016
Status: c83
At first, I was very optimistic about this novel, seeing the reviews "calculating MC, cold and calm, can be heartless, logical, no knight in shining armor, etc".

Having read up to c83, the chapter which I could not go beyond, every one of this adjectives that describe the MC have are present in him. However, many of these are taken to an extreme such as being calculative and logical. MC always bases his actions on logic and benefits. If he sees that something doesn't benefit him, he doesn't do it, and... more>> even though this is considered a good characteristic, it is taken to such an extreme that many of his actions are predictable. He doesn't get into trouble unless he WANTS to. So every time some damsel in distress comes along with trouble and no benefit he'll look the other way. If that damsel seems like she wants to kill MC, MC kills her. If aiding someone in something allows him to get some material, he'll do it.

These are smart moves and should be enjoyable since I love smart MCs, but they are bland because MC is mechanical, he has NO emotions. From time to time, MC will lecherously look at a girl's body, but because he was some whoremonger, he will ONLY want the girl's body. No heart. This novel has no character development. It has lots of timeskips, but MC seems to only grow in doing more evil things like human experiments because this is how the author set the world up. Only by experimenting on people can a Magus grow. But, since this seems to be the only way the author allows Magus to grow stronger, MC seems like he will keep developing a cold heart that allows no one to get through to it.

Relationships in this novel are non-existent in regards to Love. Only physical relationships because MC does not develop feeling for people he spends years with. He has a maid who serves him for 3 years and he leaves after giving her remuneration.

This novel caters to bland power up adventures where he gathers herbs and material for research and potions. The decisions he makes also mostly derive from the deus ex machina chip that does all the work for him in every chapter. It's a handy device that lets anyone be calculative.

Albeit, I've only read to c83, the early stages of a novel can give a good idea of the story's potential and I'd say it was pretty bland. <<less
132 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Anbu_Hero
Anbu_Hero
Apr 27, 2016
Status: --
Ok look here people. Like most of the reviews here that gave this novel a 5/5 I indefinitely agree with their opinion on this novel. This novel is beyond amazing. If you like calculative MC’s and Fantasy novel that is well created and well thought out then this is for you. The story is has so far been interesting. The thing that has been pissing me off is that this site allows little B**** to write down s*upid reviews that is degrading this series. Like seriously you give this series... more>> a 4/5 or lower because that awesome MC who is a highly intelligent human being is cold hearted unlike what you imagine of fairy tale novels where the MC is usually a fighter of justice and peace. Bulls***. The MC isn’t even cold hearted. He has his own ethics. Just like in how the real world we don’t go out of our way to help every single person in the world acting like a knight in shining armor. He just does the same thing. His ethics are humanitarian to a certain extent. He punishes evil and helps those who has been of helped to him. He takes advantage of things and he has a brain that actually functions. Seriously this series should at least be top 10 in this site. Which is dominated by Chinese novels that are practically all the same thing with just a different name for the things they have. Yet I digress, I still enjoy them. But sometimes fresh and new novels like this are the ones that should be praised. <<less
131 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ElDorado
ElDorado
Jun 25, 2016
Status: c23
Horrible execution, typical premise (with a few add-ons of its own).

LOL the MC is nothing like a scientist- a true scientist would try to delve into the depths of magic research while caring little about power. He's simply a pragmatist with more self-preservation instincts than most of the hot-blooded, rash protagonists of this genre. Another deduction: AI chip which somehow followed his soul after reincarnation into new life. No, just no. Someone who can't write well shouldn't mix 'science' with magic, that's just adding oil to the fire. All it... more>> does it show stats and give advice on choices he is making. Final point. MC just flat-out has zero personality. Sure, be cold-blooded and ruthless. But there's simply nothing that stands out about him. He might as well be 'Villager A+no qualms about killing+pragmatism'. <<less
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Ananya
Ananya
Jul 30, 2016
Status: c55
This novel has a great cheat ability in the form of an 'A.I' chip which transmigrated along with the MC to the present from his previous life in which he was a 'scientist'.

The MC is just as described in the above description. The world is a medieval western setting. The fights are good and they are pretty thrilling.

The main problem with this novel is the MC, its just that he may be a MC but he's not a 'Hero', so basically I didn't find any good reason to root for... more>> his character.

The world in this novel is just as cold blooded as the MC if not more, so while I may pity some side characters but then again I didn't feel good about them.

The main problem with this novel for me is the MC. There is no justifiable motivation for the MC to seek power and rise to the top, only probable motivation is 'survival'. He does not care much about other characters, since he always keeps them at an arm's distance. So the stakes in this novel is pretty much low.

In a nutshell, in other novels if the villain kidnaps someone closer to the MC, then MC will risk his life to rescue that person but if it was this MC in same situation, then he will probably think what is the point of rescuing that person, and if he has any use to him, only then will he consider rescuing them otherwise..... he will simply discard that person.

I mean I can't speak for all, but for me the 'MC' in this novel is very cold and there is no real reason to root for him, so I'm not gonna read this.......... but it may not be the same for some of you......... so please give it a try and decide for yourselves. <<less
125 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
scribbledoutname
scribbledout
Jun 13, 2016
Status: --
Great premise, really bland execution.

I REALLY wanted to like this, because I love mages and magic schools, and the premise is great. But unfortunately, everything excluding the premise is sub-par. The characters are bland, Leylin is not only boring but also lacks the superior intelligence and reasoning you'd expect from someone who was (supposedly) a scientist in his past life.

... more>>
Spoiler

Just as an example -- from the very start of the story we see Leylin being moronic and walking around eating plants so the AI can figure out what they do. What? Is this what a scientist would do? What happens when you eat poison? I actually assumed that maybe the AI would be able to control his body and eject any poison if he were to consume it but this isn't the case. He was just being an idiot.

[collapse]

The AI is also extremely inconsistent. There is no rhyme or reason to how long it takes for it to figure things out... it's really just down to when the author wants Leylin to be able to do something. I don't understand why it takes the AI so long to accomplish certain tasks when you compare those tasks to similar ones.

It could be because I've just caught up to a few great xianxias but I find the world boring and unrealistic with the occasional hint of something cool, but there's just not enough of it to keep me invested.

I really wish this was a better story, but I've given up on hoping the story will evolve into a world rich with interesting magic and compelling characters, rather than a selfish douchebag who is wholly dependent on an inconsistent AI and has deceived himself into believing he knows anything about the scientific method.

If you want to see a real scientist in a magic school, you're better off reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. <<less
124 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Molenir
Molenir
May 07, 2016
Status: --
Not a very good story. Lots of issues. Some of them may be due to translation issues, but more likely are caused by the author. As other reviewers have pointed out, the MC is not a “Scientist” No scientific method, no real experiments. Rather it’s a guy who got a magical artifact. The MC is simply a sociopath with no redeeming features or qualities. Apart from the occasional Skill Up, there is no character progression, nothing to make us invested in him, other then the fact that he is the... more>> MC. Additionally the world is so poorly constructed and thought out, and some events so poorly considered that immersion constantly breaks down as you scratch your head saying huh, what, why?!? Rather then delve and into greater detail I will simply say, there are way too many plotholes in the story. I read up to around chapter 100, and then couldn’t be bothered to read further. I simply can’t stand the MC, or this poorly written story any further. <<less
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aldrinkhan
aldrinkhan
May 17, 2016
Status: c122
World building (initial 10+) chapters kinda dull but after passing that it is a breeze. Not your typical chinese novel: no harem, no s*upid or naive MC, no bloodthirsty MC either, no revenge focus, just a pure journey to the top
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Sai47s
Sai47s
Feb 04, 2017
Status: c71
Start the novel interesting. But a bunch of clichés, endless cultivation, no significant or interesting characters, making the product or simply tasteless gray (in other words not a fish not meat). The hero is the villain? No he was just a realist, in the grim world in which he lives, it can still be called a good man. In general, the presence of the chip Prome hero is not what stands out, it can only be a little heartless than the average static protagonist. Hero of the scientist? No, just... more>> a ban*l alchemist with the ability to cheat (in other words, the usual magician). No significant enemies, interesting battles. Just everyday homebrew alchemist. By reading the 70 chapters of the mutants except for a handful, there are no enemies at all. The protagonist alternately growers of wealth and power, without great ego, enemies or interesting personality, does not stand out. No humor, one monotonous Middle Ages with a grim look. Reminds A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, only many times more boring, though there were hints of the existence of repressed feelings: feelings, aspirations. And the enemies were more interesting, and more intelligent. But as they say judge for yourself. <<less
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Zackarotto
Zackarotto
Feb 27, 2017
Status: c413
This is a series where the hero, Leylin, is the villain, and that's not for everyone. I'm not spoiling anything or saying he wants to destroy the world; his goal is just to advance through the levels of cultivation, like most heroes. But he's willing to bring extreme misery to other people to get what he wants, with no exceptions, not for love interests or childhood friends. He robs and kills people and makes the first attack himself, unlike other protagonists who often take spoils from bandits. He has absolutely... more>> no empathy. He's a sociopath and the way he rationalizes it -- with a Randian "rational self-interest" philosophy and the idea that it's only natural to not care about anyone in a dog-eat-dog cultivator's world -- it makes it seem like maybe the author himself is a sociopath. After all, many other characters share these views as well. It's a world where most people are bastards, where one faction is straightforward and evil, and their rival faction's apparent good-naturedness is in truth just being hypocritical.

That may seem like an interesting twist--something that might draw a curious reader in, who's looking for something different. But it makes it very hard to do a very fundamental thing, which is to care at all if the protagonist of your story succeeds. If you can't root for your hero, then you're not invested in the narrative. There's not really a supporting cast of other characters to pick up the slack either, apart from some interesting characters who will come and go for the duration of one or two story arcs at most.

With that out of the way, the story does have some clever ideas and neat tricks. Leylin's "hook" is being a reincarnator with an AI chip in his head. I like this because I've personally always wanted the power to be able to recall things like text in perfect detail, and to be able to sort and filter these details at will. The power remains relevant to Leylin's life, too, but only by becoming more magical, and never by making use of his original world's scientific knowledge. In other words, like most series, the reincarnation gimmick itself rarely comes into play.

Although I dislike having a protagonist with no empathy, there are things to appreciate about him, too. He's tactful and he assesses risks. Most heroes can get away with butting in on any situation where they see something they don't like, such as a noble on the street abusing common folk, which is why most protagonists end up drowning under heaps of enemies who have friends in high places. It's fun but serious consequences make fictional worlds seem more substantive, and because Leylin often has to keep himself in check, it makes the setting have more weight behind it. Plenty of series like to talk about how massive their settings are, how this planet is a bazillion miles in circumference, but for all that size it's like they have the weight of a balloon, because one guy can walk in and do whatever he wants there. For example, right off the bat, Leylin subverts a cliche by not stealing something that would lead to a problematic grudge.

And it's hard to imagine heroes like Yun Che or Meng Hao having to sacrifice their own possessions, or ever paying somebody not to kill them, or even having to spend their money at all--particularly when it comes to money that was hard-earned, instead of effortlessly stolen. Leylin has the problems a real thief would have, in that an "expensive item" has no true value if you can't use it or sell it, and finding a reliable fence is often going to be harder than committing the theft itself. Admittedly, both styles of novels can be good; it just depends what you're looking for as a reader.

It paces itself steadily and has been a bit more inventive than many of its Qidian counterparts when it comes to dealing with "power creep". Most series will move the hero to the Strong Realm or whatever whenever they become a big fish in a small pond. It isn't the worst thing ever to do this, as it's better than a battle novel with no conflict, but it often feels like a lazy way out, and as a reader, you often have to suspend your disbelief. WMW does this stuff too, but we're informed in advance about how isolated these "small ponds" are by the geographical conditions and world lore. The main character will also suppress his own power level to blend in at times, seeking some knowledge or specific object, which is usually more fun than just going straight to the new Strong Realm and powering through more levels of cultivation.

It's tempting to see this novel as a kind of specific response to Coiling Dragon. A lot of the tropes of that series are played with in this one, and there are references and twists on a lot of its ideas. I wouldn't dare to spoil the more clever ones, but even the hero's name, Leylin, is basically CD's Linley just twisted around.

I definitely liked some aspects of this, feeling that it remained somewhat interesting despite a huge handicap in the character department, but ultimately, against my own expectations, I just put it down for a while when it was still being translated, and I never could really bring myself to pick it back up again. I think there are too many great novels in the world to bother with long (and sometimes poorly-proofread) ones that have a few good things going for them, but don't really stir one's passions. <<less
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